Finger protector for use in the opening of ampoules



United States Patent Inventors Raymond Goldberg East Meadow; Irving F.Shaw, East Rockaway, New York Appl. No. 774,562 Filed Oct. 3, 1968Patented 'Dec. 1, 1970 Assignee West Laboratories Inc.

Long Island City, New York a corporation of New York Field otSearch215/1 1.3, 12, 32; 150/52; 8l/3.4, (lnquired) References Cited UNITEDSTATES PATENTS 2/ l 900 Caraher Primary Examiner-Donald F. NortonAttorney-Howard E. Thompson, Jr.

ABSTRACT: Finger protector for grasping the removable end offlame-sealed ampoules and the like in the opening thereof comprising atubular body of cylindrical to frustoconical contour having at one endthereof an outwardly extending circumferential flange, and at the otherend portion thereof a plurality of circumferentially disposed inwardlyextending flanges, said tubular body and flanges being integrally formedof yieldable material whereby said inwardly extending flanges canyieldably engage and center the removable end of an ampoule within thedevice. The device may also have inwardly extending circumferentialmeans adjacent said outwardly extending flange for positioning said bodyon the removable end with said outwardly extending flange in substantialalinement with the point ofseverancc ofsaid end.

Patent eJ 1, 1970,

5 M. .N B v I RAYMaA/aGaz name BY fnvnva E SHAW ATTORNfY FINGERrno'racron FOR use IN 'rna OPENING or AMPOULES BACKGROUND OF THEINVENTION Numerous drugs and medical supplies, particularly forinjection purposes, are packaged in flame-sealed glass ampoules whichcharacteristically have a cylindrical body part joined by a restrictedneck to an elongated bulbous tip, the end of which is flame-sealed whenthe ampoule has been filled. This packaging assures sterility of thecontents until the ampoule is opened by removal of the tip to gainaccess to the contents. With other type materials such as hairdressingsupplies, deliquescent solids, and the like sealed containers with endsremovable by rupture are employed to prevent alteration of the contentsby the pickup or loss of vapors, or merely to preclude tampering withthe contents.

The time-honored procedure when opening such flamesealed ampoules is toscratch or nick the restricted neck with a small file or cutting tooland then in a quick movement to snap off the ampoule tip at therestricted neck. There is a knack, however, to scratching and breakingsuchampoules, and unless properly done there is a danger of splinteringthe glass at the point of the break or even collapsing of the tip partwith the possibility of thereby cutting the fingers of the operator.Even if these possibilities do not occur, there is always the chance ofinadvertently sustaining a cut by brushing against the jagged edge ofthe ampoule as the tip is being severed.

Flame-sealed ampoules, of course, are made in many sizes, and while thedanger of injury is relatively low with small one to two cc. ampoules,the possibility of injury increases rapidly with increase in the ampoulesize. This is due in part to difficulty in controlling wall thicknesswhen forming the ampoules and particularly the neck and tip portionsthereof; and with larger ampoules the danger of the tip portionshattering as it is being broken from the ampoule body is a very realproblem.

Sealed containers with removable ends are by no means limited to theconventional ampoule above described but can assume various shapes andsizes for decorative or utilitarian purposes. Furthermore, theseparation of the removable end may be facilitated by a localizedprestressing of the container at the intended point of severance byvarioustknown means such as that described in U.S. Pat. No. 2,517,604.With any such removable end, however, there is danger of injury due tocollapse of the end or contact with sharp edges of the container as theend is being removed.

THE IN VENTIONv The finger projector for use in the opening offlame-sealed ampoules and the like in accordance with the presentinvention eliminates the danger of injury notwithstanding the problemsabove mentioned by providing a protective shield which prevents thefingers of the operator both from contact ing the removable end orfragments thereof, and from inadvertently contacting sharp edges of thecontainer body as the end is being removed.

The device can be inexpensively produced from various materials whichhave somewhat yieldable properties such as treated paper, rubber, moldedplastics and the like. In fact, the device can be so inexpensivelyproduced that it is intended that ampoules or other containers withremovable ends be supplied with the device attached, and that the deviceand severed end be discarded as a unit when the container has beenopened. Satisfactory results have been obtained when molding the devicefrom polyethylene or polypropylene, and the use of clear plastic has theadvantage of permitting the ampoule tip to be viewed through the device.

Details of the invention will readily be understood from a considerationof the following description taken together with the accompanyingdrawing illustrating a typical adaptation of the invention, in which thevarious parts thereof are identified by'suitable reference characters ineach of the views, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a shortened side elevation view of a typical ampoule having afinger-protecting device associated therewith, with part of said devicebroken away and in section;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the finger-protecting device as shown inFIG. 1, but separate from the ampoule, and;

FIG. 3 is an end view of the device as shown in FIG. 2.

In FIG. 1 of the drawing there is illustrated a typical ampoule 10,having a container or body part 11 of generally cylindrical contourwhich is joined by a restricted neck 12 to a tip or removable and i3,which is closed by flame-sealing at the end 14. The tip 13 is ofelongated bulbous contour providing a rounded enlargement 15 adjacentthe restricted neck 12. When the tip 13 is to be removed to gain accessto the contents of the body part 11, a nick or scratch is made at therestricted neck 12, causing a weakness which normally permits the tip 13to separate from the body 11 in a clean break. On the other hand,improper scratching or nicking of the neck 12 and irregularities in thewall thickness of the neck 12 or tip 13, and particularly in theenlarged portion 15 of the tip, can lead to irregular breaking of theneck and/or crushing of the tip with resulting injury to the fingers ofthe operator.

The finger protector or shield 16 has a cylindrical to frustoconicaltubular body 17 terminating at one end in a circumferential outwardlyextending radial flange 18 which, as shown in the drawing, is adapted tobe positioned in substantial alinement with the neck 12 of the ampoule.The flange 18 should project outwardly from the tubular body asubstantial distance to provide protection of the fingers from contactwith broken edges of the ampoule or container body as the tip orremovable and is being severed. When the ampoule body 11 issubstantially larger than the removable end 13 as shown in the drawing,the flange 18 suitably has a diameter equal to or slightly less than thediameter of the ampoule body to facilitate packaging of ampoules withprotectors attached.

The other end portion of the tubular body is provided with a pluralityof inwardly extending flanges 19 separated by notches 20 which may be ofgenerally V-shaped contour as shown, with the inner edges 21 of saidflanges having a circular contour slightly smaller than the ampoule tip13 which is intended to be associated therewith. Thus it will be notedthat in mounting the device on an ampoule tip the flanges 19 are flexedoutwardly as shown in FIG. 1 thereby gripping and positioning theampoule tip in the protector. The walls of the tubular body 17 can, ifdesired, extend beyond the flanges 19 and even terminate as a closed endon the tubular body, but the flanges disposed at an open end of thetubular body as shown in thedrawing represent the most economicalconstruction for a one use disposable device.

As illustrated in the drawing, the tubular body 17 has been shown ashaving a frustoconical taper corresponding quite closely with the taperof the tip 13. While this is desirable, it is by no means essential; andthe tubular body 17 can be of cylindrical contour, in which event theflanges '19 will have a somewhat greater radial dimension than shown inthe drawing in providing the inner edge contour 21 which will yieldablygrip the tip 13. It should also be understood that in adapting theinvention to other types of containers with removable ends the size andcross section of the tubular body can be made to conform generally withthe contour of such removable end.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the body 17 has inwardly extendingcircumferential ribs 22 and 23 which are inwardly spaced from the flange18 to generally positionthe device with respect to the enlargement 15.Since the device with is fashionedfrom yieldable material, the rib 22readily slides over the enlargement 15 as the device is slid onto thetip 13 or as it may be moved partially off the tip 13 to gain access tothe ampoule neck 12 with a tile for nicking or scratching the same priorto severance of the tip. After such scratching or nicking of the neck 12the protector 16 is returned to substantially the position shown in FIG.1 or even to direct engagement with the body 11 of the ampoule, Then asthe tip-is stressed in a manner to tilt it with respect to the axis ofthe ampoule, causing a break at the restricted neck 12, it will beapparent that the fingers of the operator grasping the protector device16 are protected against any inadvertent contact with glass fragments orjagged broken edges.

The inwardly extending ribs 22, 23 provide a sufficient frictionalengagement with the tip 13 and the enlargement 15 thereof to retain theprotector 16 against inadvertent displacement as during shipment andstorage prior to use, and also to support the severed tip within theprotector to, permitting disposal thereof as a unit.

While the use of the protector device effectively protects the fingersof the operator from injury by glass fragments or jagged edges, it hasbeen found that use of the protector to appears to reduce thefrequencyof improper breakage in the removal of ampoule tips. This is consideredto be due in part to the spreading out of applied pressure, therebyminimizing the danger of crushing the tip, and in part to more positiveor deliberate manipulation by the operator when breaking off the ampouletip, realizing that an improper break of the tip will not cause injury.in other words, part of the knack of proper opening of flame-sealedampoules is to apply ample breaking pressure in one quick movement; andby removing the threat of injury the operator is more likely to exertsufficient pressure to bring about a clean break.

Various changes and modifications in the finger protector for use in theopening of flame-sealed ampoules as herein disclosed may occur to thoseskilled in the art, and to the extent that such changes andmodifications are embraced by the appended claims, it is to beunderstood that they constitute part of the present invention.

We claim:

1. Finger protector for grasping the removable end of a sealed ampoulein the opening thereof comprising a'tubular body of cylindrical tofrustoconical contour having at one end thereof an outwardly extendingcircumferential flange, and at the other end portion thereof a pluralityof circumferentially disposed inwardly extending flanges, inner edges ofsaid flanges being of arcuate contour collectively defining asubstantially circular opening in the end of said body, the length ofsaid tubular body being greater than the diameter thereof and shorterthan the removable end of an associated ampoule, said tubular body andflanges being integrally formed of yieldable material whereby saidinwardly extending flanges can yieldably engage and center the removableend of an ampoule within said device.

2. Finger protector as defined in claim 1 wherein said outwardlyextending flange has a diameter substantially cori responding with thediameter of the associated ampoule.

3. Finger protector as defined in claim 1 wherein the yieldable materialthereof is clear molded plastic, whereby an associated ampoule as it isat least partially visible therethrough.

4. Finger protector for grasping the removable end of a sealed ampoulein the opening thereof comprising a tubular body of cylindrical tofrustoconical contour having at one end thereof an outwardly extendingcircumferential flange, and at the other end portion thereof a pluralityof circumferentially disposed inwardly extending flanges, inner edges ofsaid flanges being of arcuate contour collectively defining asubstantially circular opening in the end of said body, the length ofsaid tubular body being greater than the diameter thereof and shorterthan the removable end of an associated ampoule, said tubular body andflanges being integrally formed of yieldable material whereby saidinwardly extending flanges can yieldably engage and center the removableend of an ampoule within said device, and inwardly extendingcircumferentialmeans adjacent said outwardly extending flange forpositioning said body on said removable end with said outoule.

p 6. Finger protector as defined in claim 4 wherein said lastnamed meanscomprises a pair of inwardly extending circumferential beads closelyspaced longitudinally of said tubular body and adapted to receivetherebetween the characteristic enlargement of an elongated bulbousremovable end of an ampoule, and said tubular body being sufficientlyyieldable to permit forcible movement of both of said circumferentialbeads over said enlargement.

7. The combination with a sealed ampoule having an essentiallycylindrical body joined by a restricted neck to an elongated bulbous tipof smaller diameter than .said body and adapted to be removed from thebody by severance at said restricted neck, of a finger protectorcomprising an essentially tubular body of cylindrical to frustoconicalcontour slidably engaging said ampoule body having an outwardlyextending flange with a diameter approximately the same as that of theampoule body, and the other end portion of said finger protector havinga plurality of inwardly extending flexible flanges engaging theprotruding end of the ampoule tip.

8. The combination as defined in claim 7 wherein said finger protectoris a unitary body of molded plastic material.

9. The combination as defined in claim 7 wherein said finger protectoris a unitary body of colorless molded plastic material whereby theassociated ampoule tip is at least partially visible therethrough.

10 The combination with a sealed ampoule having an essentiallycylindrical body joined by a restricted neck to an elongated bulbous tipof smaller diameter than said body and adapted to be removed from thebody by severance at said restricted neck, of a finger protectorcomprising an essentially tubular body of cylindrical to frustoconicalcontour slidably engaging said ampoule tip, the end of said fingerprotector adjacent the ampoule body having an outwardly extending flangewith a diameter approximately the same as that of the ampoule body, theother end portion of said finger protector having a plurality ofinwardly extending flexible flanges engaging the protruding end of theampoule tip, and means internally of said tubular body yieldablyengaging said ampoule tip at the enlarged portion of its bulbous contourpreventing inadvertent removal of said finger protector from saidampoule tip, both while on said ampoule and when severed therefrom inthe opening of said ampoule.

11. The combination as defined in claim 10 wherein said inwardlyextending means comprises a pair of inwardly extending circumferentialbeads spaced longitudinally of said tubular body a distance tosubstantially accommodate said enlarged portion of the ampoule tip.

